Achille Van Acker
| Achille Van Acker | |
|---|---|
Van Acker, photographed in 1956
|
|
| Prime Minister of Belgium | |
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In office 23 April 1954 – 26 June 1958 |
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| Monarch | Baudouin |
| Preceded by | Jean Van Houtte |
| Succeeded by | Gaston Eyskens |
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In office 31 March 1946 – 3 August 1946 |
|
| Monarch | Charles (Regent) |
| Preceded by | Paul-Henri Spaak |
| Succeeded by | Camille Huysmans |
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In office 12 February 1945 – 13 March 1946 |
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| Monarch | Charles (Regent) |
| Preceded by | Hubert Pierlot |
| Succeeded by | Paul-Henri Spaak |
| President of the Chamber of Representatives | |
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In office 27 April 1961 – 30 April 1974 |
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| Preceded by | Paul Kronacker |
| Succeeded by | André Dequae |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
8 April 1898 Bruges, Belgium |
| Died | 10 July 1975 (aged 77) Bruges, Belgium |
| Political party |
Belgian Labour Party (1918–44) Belgian Socialist Party (1944–) |
Achille Van Acker (8 April 1898 – 10 July 1975) was a Belgian politician who served four terms as Prime Minister of Belgium between 1946 and 1958. A moderate from Flanders, Van Acker was a member of the Belgian Socialist Party (PSB–BSP) and played an important role in the creation of the Belgian welfare state after World War II.
Achille Honoré Van Acker was born into a working class family in Bruges, Belgium in 1898 as the youngest of 12 children. He only attended school until the age of 11. Despite entering the workforce, Van Acker read widely and joined several social associations in Bruges. At the outbreak of World War I, he was refused by the Belgian Army because he suffered from astigmatism. While the Germans occupied most of Belgium, Van Acker fled into the small section of unoccupied territory behind the Yser Front where he worked in various menial capacities. Mixing with Belgian soldiers during the war, Van Acker became involved in socialist politics, developing a distinctive ideology based on moderate social democracy. After the end of the war, he returned to Bruges and joined the Belgian Labour Party (Belgische Werkliedenpartij, POB–BWP) and became active in socialist groups, trade unions, and cooperatives.
In 1926, Van Acker was elected to a position in Bruges' city council and, in 1927, became a POB–BWP member of the Chamber of Representatives aged 29. In his early years in parliament, Van Acker developed particular expertise in social security legislation.
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